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Daring discourse
Practice ‘safe scans’: why ultrasound transducer covers should be considered best practice
  1. Ariana Prinzbach and
  2. Jeffrey Gadsden
  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ariana Prinzbach, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA; ariprinz30{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Single-injection, ultrasound-guided nerve block procedures involve puncturing the skin in close proximity to an ultrasound transducer, creating a potential vector for transmission of microbial organisms when skin flora and blood come into contact with the probe. Practice patterns regarding disinfection of the transducer and the use of barrier protection are inconsistent, ranging from sterile sleeve probe covers to no cover at all. Although sleeve probe covers are easy and straightforward to use and serve to protect patients, providers and medical equipment, their utilisation remains controversial. Standardisation of their use eliminates the impact of improper or haphazard probe disinfection and makes infection control practices consistent and reproducible. This position is shared by multiple societies and authorities on ultrasound and acute care medicine. In this Daring Discourse, we outline the arguments supporting the utilisation of single-use sleeve probe covers to ensure patient safety with respect to vector-borne transmission of microbes during single-injection regional anaesthesia procedures.

  • Nerve Block
  • Pain, Postoperative
  • Pain Management
  • REGIONAL ANESTHESIA
  • Ultrasonography

https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2024-105655

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    Footnotes

    • X @jeffgadsden

    • Contributors Both AP and JG contributed equally to the writing of this manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests JG is an ad hoc consultant for Pacira Biosciences.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.